Sikkim: Expelled students finally receive their degrees after High Court ruling

Four students from Geyzing Degree College in West Sikkim, who were expelled in February 2021 for protesting against the lack of infrastructure in the under-construction college, have finally been awarded their graduation degree by Sikkim University. This decision came after the Sikkim High Court ruled in favor of the students on May 4, 2023.

The Sikkim High Court observed that Sikkim University had withheld the result of the examination of the fourth, fifth, and sixth semesters of the students without making any decision that would reflect their application of mind. The court directed Sikkim University to take an informed decision in writing, considering the applicable regulations, as well as the peculiar situation the students faced of not attending lectures during their expulsion, which was later set aside by the court.

The court further ordered the university to make a decision in a timely manner so as not to impede the students' ability to pursue further studies. The students' counsel noted that they needed to sit for the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) in order to pursue postgraduate studies, and that the deadline for enrolling for CUET PG 2023 was May 5, 2023.

The Sikkim University issued the undergraduates their much-awaited results and degree on May 5th before midnight. Pravin Upreti, Praveen Basnet, Loknath Chettri and Nakul Sharma, who were expelled, were awarded the degree. The advocate representing the students expressed gratitude to the High Court and noted that the decision should be left to the experts, and that Sikkim University is tasked with ensuring quality education and understanding the needs and welfare of its students.

Pravin Upreti, one of the expelled students, said, "We were expelled for 2 years 3 months. There was precedence before that students cannot go to court but we have challenged that perspective now and won the case. When we were protesting for college infrastructure development and fake assurances of the State government, we were labeled as troublesome students with back papers. We were labeled Anti-National, Anti-Establishment just to justify our expulsion and hide the shortcomings of the government. But we have passed now with 7 to 8 CGPA. This is a tight slap against those in power who tried to deem us wrong and expelled us from college."

The students claimed that the court judgment was a victory against those in power deeming the four students to be Anti-National and Anti-Establishment in 2021. They said, "Now the Anti-Nationals have won a case, the Anti-Establishments have a degree with 7-8 CGPA, not through online examination but through physical examinations conducted. Democratic demands of the people are not always heard but through the court, our voice was heard and we got justice."